1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a medical safety closure for sealing an open top of a specimen collection tube. More particularly, the present invention relates to a medical specimen safety closure used during the collection and shipment of biological specimens, such as urine, to analytical laboratories.
2. Background Description
Biological specimen collections are frequently performed in physicians' offices, hospitals and clinics. It is then sent out to the laboratory for diagnostic testing. Urine collection is one of the most notable. The usual procedure to carry out a urine test is to have one's urine collected and then shipped to an analytical laboratory. The specimen is usually collected in a physician's office where the patient is asked to fill some type of container and then return it to the healthcare provider. The specimen is then transferred from the reservoir container into some shipping container and mailed out to an analytical laboratory for diagnostic analysis.
A problem with current devices that are utilized to carry out this specimen collection is that during the transfer of the specimen from the primary collection device to the transport device, the healthcare provider can be exposed to the specimen. There is a current need to provide safe transfer of the specimen from the reservoir to the shipping container. In addition, there is a need to provide a closure which has a liquid-tight seal so that the specimen does not leak out during transport to the analytical laboratory.
It is also important to provide a safety feature to the closure so that the laboratory technician cannot defeat the medical safety closure's lid and potentially become exposed to the specimen by splatter or spray when the lid is re-opened.
Furthermore, it is desirable to have these above features and advantages with a closure that provides passive filling of the specimen which also stops the liquid specimen from filling at a pre-determined volume. As those skilled in the field of specimen collection are aware, safety is becoming more important due to the exposure to the specimen and the possible infectious disease it may carry. Therefore, there is an ever-increasing need for a specimen closure that minimizes exposure of the specimen to the healthcare provider during collection and transfer of the specimen from a reservoir to a container. In addition, there is a need for a closure to be fluid-tight during shipping of the specimen and a feature to prevent tampering of the closure's lid that could lead to exposure of the specimen from spray or splatter caused by the re-opening of the lid. Currently, stoppers are used that must be pulled out of the containers which can cause splatter or spray of the specimen out of the container. Closures which have a permanent snap fit and only allow removal of the closure by twisting off of the container may be defeated if enough force is applied to the lid of the closure.